In the discussion of the background that follows, reference is made to certain structures and/or methods. However, the following references should not be construed as an admission that these structures and/or methods constitute prior art. Applicants expressly reserve the right to demonstrate that such structures and/or methods do not qualify as prior art.
In the field of medicine, it is increasingly desirable to stratify groups of individuals by molecular markers. Molecular markers for such stratification include sets of antigens, such as cell surface markers or blood cell antigens, and genetic variants of a set of genes. Identifying signatures of such molecular markers for a given disease or disorder can lead to prognostic and/or diagnostic methods. For instance, a set of 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has been identified as having a significant association with prostate cancer (Zheng et al., 2008, N Engl J. Med. 358:910-919). Men having these 5 SNPs are at an increased risk of prostate cancer. Identifying signatures can also be useful for tissue matching. For instance, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) serotyping or genotyping can contribute to improved outcome for solid tissue or bone marrow transplantations (Sheldon and Poulton, 2006, Methods Mol Biol. 333: 157-174, 2006). Similarly, identifying blood cell antigens contributes to improved efficacy and reduced adverse clinical events for red blood cell transfusions. Thus, attribute profiling is of increasing interest and value in medicine.
In current practice, it is common to identify attribute profiles one sample at a time, and even one attribute at a time. Even with state-of-the-art methods of multiplex analysis, comprehensive attribute profiling of large numbers of individuals is time-consuming, laborious and thus, often impractical. A need exists for improved methods of attribute profiling.